Joseph Mallord William Turner | The Fighting Temeraire | NG524 | National Gallery, London More paintings in this room The 98-gun ship 'Temeraire' played a distinguished role in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after which she was known as the 'Fighting Temeraire'. The ship remained in service until 1838 when she was decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up. The painting was thought to represent the decline of Britain's naval power. The 'Temeraire' is shown travelling east, away from the sunset, even though Rotherhithe is west of Sheerness, but Turner's main concern was to evoke a sense of loss, rather than to give an exact recording of the event. The spectacularly colourful setting of the sun draws a parallel with the passing of the old warship. By contrast the new steam-powered tug is smaller and more prosaic. Turner was in his sixties when he painted 'The Fighting Temeraire'. It shows his mastery of painting techniques to suggest sea and sky. Paint laid on thickly is used to render the sun's rays striking the clouds.

By contrast, the ship's rigging is meticulously painted. Share this painting The Fighting Temeraire HUM 210 - Fall, 1998 Many paintings are inspired by the events occurring at the time the work is created. Artwork gives us a much clearer picture of those events during a time period, as opposed to just simply reading about them. Paintings stimulate our thoughts and emotions and make us curious to learn more about the particular piece we are studying. An excellent example of this is a painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner called The Fighting Temeraire. Joseph Mallord William Turner was an English landscape painter who is renowned especially for his dynamic treatment of natural light effects in land and marine subjects. His work is of direct importance in the development of impressionism. Turner captured a poignant bit of British history when he painted the grand, ghostly hulk of the Temeraire in the summer of 1838. The Temeraire was a ship of Admiral Nelson's glorious fleet.

Every Englishman knew her history: she had fought under Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798; seven years later, with all the daring her name implied, she had notably served England's cause at Trafalgar. To the Temeraire, second in the fleet's line of battle, had gone the glory of avenging Nelson's death, blasting Napoleon's enemy vessel that had rake his flagship Victory and killed Admiral Nelson. After 33 more years, the scene that Turner captured was of the Temeraire on her final mission of destruction - her own. Stripped of her sails and 98 guns, her hull rotting beneath a last perfunctory coat of paint, she was enroute from the naval base at Sheerness to a private wrecker's shipyard on the Thames, to be broken up for her heart of oak timbers and copper fittings. Two sturdy steam tugs guided her. Above these steamers of the new age of speed, the Temeraire loomed tall and still proud, taking the salute of a brilliant setting sun, going to her doom with a queen's grace.

Turner's The Fighting Temeraire would have stirred the English at any time but at this stage its patriotic appeal was special. The reign of Victoria was just under way, and the pains of transition were multiple. Queen Victoria was enamored of her Prime Minister, the worldly Lord Melbourne, and under his suave guardianship she seemed to be learning more about social gossip than statecraft. Wiser heads around her were worried because the problems of the palace were pressing. The growth of England's realms abroad had complicated the colonial picture; before the Parliament was a startling report by Lord Durham, just returned from Canada, urging that all colonies be made self-governing. At home, the growth of England's economy had spread the seamier aspects of industrialism. In a recent novel, Oliver Twist, a young writer named Charles Dickens had offered a chilling look inside the compulsory workhouses for the poor. The sad thing was that the Queen herself had read the book and found it "excessively interesting," but apparently thought it pure fiction. Wherever they turned, the English saw only complexities. The nation was nearing the pinnacle of world power. To look forward was tantalizing, but to look back was reassuring.

Turner's Temeraire fulfilled a widespread wish to be reminded of a time when things were simpler, when the thorniest of problems could be solved by valor alone. The Fighting Temeraire is an excellent example of the use of linear perspective beginning with the horizon line (where the water and the sky meet) and the vanishing point (the setting sun). The orthogonals create the illusion of things getting smaller as they recede into the distance. The blurring of the horizon makes the painting less real but there is a sense of movement of the ships, which is consistent with the painterly element. The painting is planar as everything runs parallel with the surface of the painting. Open form creates the sense of movement of the ships and makes it easy to imagine the scene continuing beyond our view. The single source of light from the setting sun suggests the element of unity, which creates shadows and shadings. The figures blend into each other, as do the other colors. Turner virtually used every color on his palette to create this painting. The hermeneutical circle can be used to help the viewer have a truer understanding of this painting.

One can look closely at the old warship moving upstream on the Thames between London and Margate with the two sturdy steam tugs to guide her. The reflection of the ships can be seen in the calm, still water. The sun is setting and you can see the skyline of the city moving farther away in the distance. When you look at the whole picture, there is a sense of sadness as the grand old ship is being led on her last voyage to the scrapyard. The calm, quiet end of a beautiful day is a tribute to the history of the Temeraire. A London reviewer by the name of William Makepeace Thackeray wrote the following about Turner's Temeraire painting: "It is absurd to grow so politically enthusiastic about a four foot canvas, representing a ship, a steamer, a river and a sunset. But herein lies the power of the great artist. He makes you see and think of a great deal more than the object before you; he knows how to soothe or intoxicate, to fire or depress, by a few notes, or forms, or colors, of which we cannot trace the effects to the source, but acknowledge the power." This painting is impacted by the events that occurred at the time it was created.

Both the artist's technique as well as the political and social events of the time set the theme for this piece. References Hirsh, Diana and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The World of Turner, 1775-1851. New York: Time-Life Books. Pg. 61, 165, 166. Gerten, Carol L. J.M.W. Turner, 1775-1851. Internet. Oct. 1998. The Fighting Temeraire | artble.com The Fighting Temeraire The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up Height (cm): Bibliography The Fighting Temeraire Story / Theme The Temeraire had a dramatic and victorious career in her more useful days. She earned her legendary place in British naval history after coming to the aid of fellow British ship, the Victory, during the important Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Napoleon, along with his newly acquired French and Spanish fleets, raged an invasion against Britain. It was the morning of October 21st, 1805.

The Franco-Spanish fleet had 33 ships, the British only 22. Fortunately, among the 22 was the 98-gun Temeraire. British Captain Nelson arranged his fleet into two columns to attack the enemy head on. His ship, Victory, went straight through the line but not without absorbing significant damage. They hadn't even opened fired yet. Recovering from the blow, they managed to take down a French flagship, the Bucentaure. Victory's further progress however was blocked by the French Redoutable. Coming to the rescue, the Temeraire thwarted the enemy ship from the opposite side. The Victory and Temeraire defeated Napoleon's forces with combined tactics. Eventually it was the Temeraire that ultimately lead Britain to victory. Though many of Britain's men were killed in this battle, Britain was not without triumph. The Battle of Trafalgar allowed the expansion of British colonial power for many years, keeping Napoleon out for good. Turner wanted to give credit where credit was due. He desired to admire the glorious and passing age of the sail ship, replaced by the new age of steam and steel.

He sought to evoke a sense of loss, and focused more on that quality than portraying complete accuracy. In reality it was said that the Temeraire was pulled by two tugs, not one. The scene was also without the beautiful sunset Turner afforded viewers. Once again, Turner took the liberty to romanticize a scene very close to his heart. In The Fighting Temeraire the enchanting old war ship towers over the new steam power tug, a vessel that lacks personality and the story that the 'Fighting Temeraire' does. She is being tugged by this new ship, ultimately to her death. She will soon be broken up for scraps. The Fighting Temeraire Inspirations for the Work Richard Wilson Penegoes Turner's great fascination and admiration for the 98-gun ship, the Temeraire, and her valiant battle story inspired this painting. The Temeraire played a key role in England's victory in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar against Napoleon forces. Her determined efforts earned her the name, "Fighting Temeraire. " Thirty-three years after her glorious days, she was to be forgotten and broken up for scrap parts after being replaced by the modern steamboat.

Turner sought to record this sad account in his painting, The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up. Fellow landscapist Richard Wilson provided early inspiration for Turner's landscapes. Though he developed his own unique style, traces of Wilson's influence can be seen in The Fighting Temeraire. The Fighting Temeraire Analysis In true Turner style, the wonderful composition of The Fighting Temeraire was played out by his warm color palette. His use of colors served to create another fantastic sunset and sky scene. The tone of his favorite piece pays tribute to England's beloved Temeraire, showing her glory even on her way to be broken into scraps. Composition: As this canvas is mostly devoid of objects, save the two sea vessels, Turner uses color to dictate the composition of this piece. The main subjects, the Temeraire and the tugboat that pulls her to her death, are enveloped in a triangle of blue. That this color contrasts against the mostly warm palette, attention is drawn directly to the two floating objects. The sun sets on the right side, adjacent to the ships as a pleasant afterthought when the eye retreats from the ships. Tone: Turner intended to invoke a nostalgic and somber response from the viewer.

The Temeraire was a vessel close to the heart of the artist, and as it is tugged to its untimely death (replaced by modern steam vessels) Turner paints with reflection and admiration; the Temeraire sails proudly, still valiant, on her way to be broken into scrap parts. Brush strokes: The effectiveness of the lighting in this piece was achieved through Turner's light and loose brush stroke. Had he practiced a tighter, more precise stroke the atmosphere wouldn't have been so elusive and hazy. Color Palette: Turner's palette, save the blue triangle behind the ships, is predominantly warm. He chooses his colors wisely, in an effort to evoke a tribute to the beloved Temeraire. Though the colors he paints with are warm, the nostalgic notion is still apparent in this scene. The luminous whites of the sky demand attention, as do the bright yellows of the setting sun. Lighting: As this was one of his later paintings, Turner focused almost entirely on the lighting of this piece. He wanted the atmosphere to dominate, to evoke the feeling he felt during this scene.

The Fighting Temeraire Critical Reception John Ruskin London The Fighting Temeraire is considered by both the general public and by Turner himself to be one of his greatest paintings. It has received a fair amount of positive attention from its first exhibit to the Royal Academy in 1837 up until now. As it is a classic, with an unforgettable landscape and very popular subject matter, it will most likely continue to be greatly admired for years to come. Contemporary Reception: As some of Turner's paintings went largely misunderstood by those of his time, The Fighting Temeraire was considered one of his greatest works by his modern day critics. He happened to agree with them, his "darling" was a painting he could not part with for any sum of money. It was later willed to the National Gallery after his death. The Morning Chronicle of May 7th, 1839 speaks of the painting representing "the decay of a noble human being. " They continue on, "the gorgeous horizon poetically intimates that the sun of the Temeraire is setting in glory. " The Literary Gazette wrote four days later that "the sun of the glorious vessel... setting in a flood of light...

typifying the departing glories of the old Temeraire." More papers continued to admire the painting which would receive even wider recognition a few years later, once again thanks to friend and art critic, John Ruskin. It has been suggested by 20th century critics, that perhaps it was the subject that the viewers liked, more than the actual painting. Posthumous Reception: Turner work as a whole was admired greatly by the impressionist artists. They studied and followed his later works very closely. Modern Day Reception: The Fighting Temeraire is viewed very positively in the present time. In fact, it was voted the "greatest painting in Britain" in a 2005 in a poll held by the National Gallery and the BBC Radio. The British public cast the votes and Turner's famous painting received the greatest attention with 31,892 votes out of 118,111. The Fighting Temeraire Related Paintings Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth , 1842: The seemingly impenetrable steamboat is stuck in the heart of the storm. Even as man's products improved, Turner showed that they were still no match against the forces of nature.

It is said that Turner tied himself to the mast of a ship during the storm to conceive this image, but this tale is not usually taken seriously. Related Works Done By Others: The subject of the Temeraire was a popular one not only in painting but in the literary arts as well. Well known English poet, Sir Henry Newbolt, pays tribute to a vessel that England possibly owes its success to in his poem, also titled, The Fighting Temeraire. Newbolt (1862-1938) was also a Minister of Information and best known for his WWI propaganda piece, Vitaï Lampada. The Fighting Temeraire Locations Through Time - Notable Sales As this was one of his favorite paintings, Turner could not part with it. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1838 and remained in Turner's possession until it was bequeathed to the nation of Britain by Turner in 1851. It currently hangs in The National Gallery, London. The Fighting Temeraire Artist J.M.W. Turner J. M.W. Turner began his artistic career at a very young age. His success was fairly immediate, selling his first painting at just 12 years old.

He continued to accomplish significant achievements at a remarkably young age and throughout his career he remained highly sought-after and acquired a very large fortune from his commissions. He is remembered as an influential painter, said to be the best landscapist of the 19th century, and a key artist to influence the Impressionist movement. Turner is famed for his original interpretations of bringing light and color to his canvases. Turner painted The Fighting Temeraire when he was 63-years-old. By this age, he began to break away from the classical traditions he developed while at the Royal Academy. His art began to take on a looser form, paving the way for Impressionism. This was the second of four steam boat paintings completed by Turner. When he enjoyed a subject, he revisited it many times. The Fighting Temeraire is considered by both the general public and by Turner himself to be one of his greatest paintings. The Fighting Temeraire Art Period Romanticism is sometimes viewed as a reaction to its more serious predecessor, the Neoclassical movement.

As Neoclassical artists focused on properly accounting history through a close attention to detail, Romantic artists flirted with themes of man's self glorification, man's part in nature, divinity found in nature, and emotion. Though neoclassicism is generally associated with the history genre, Turner is credited with having embarked upon a subject matter so great that it actually rivaled the history genre. His subject matter accounts for recording history, but in a different style than ever seen before. He used color as an intensity of emotion to portray the passing of events. The Fighting Temeraire Bibliography You can find out more about this, and Turner's other works be referring to the books listed below. Books: Take One Picture/Previous Pictures Full title: 'The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her Last Berth to be broken up, 1838' by Joseph Mallord Turner London, The National Gallery. For 2007/08, the one-day 'Take One Picture' Continuing Professional Development courses, run by National Gallery Education, focused on 'The Fighting Temeraire' by Turner. The course looked at ways of using paintings in the classroom as a starting point for delivering many areas of the National Curriculum.

This principle aligns closely with the DfES Primary National Strategy: Excellence and Enjoyment , which supports a holistic approach to the curriculum by exploiting the links between subject areas. The painting shows the final journey of the Temeraire, a celebrated gunship which had fought valiantly in Lord Nelson's fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Thirty-three years later, decaying and no longer in use, she was towed 55 miles up the Thames from Sheerness to be broken up in a Rotherhithe shipyard. The Temeraire was a 98-gun, three-decked battle ship that had been launched in 1798, during the French revolutionary war. Her name means bold or fearless in French. Turner's painting pays tribute to the Temeraire's heroic past. The gunship, painted delicately in light tones, seems to float effortlessly on the calm waters, giving it a ghostly appearance. The glorious sunset behind is a fanfare of colour in her honour. Just as the day is drawing to a close, so too is the life of the Temeraire.

The nostalgic and melancholy mood of the painting is emphasised by the fact that she can no longer travel by the power of her own sails; they have been furled for the last time and a steamboat tugs her in to shore. Turner paints the two boats in stark contrast to one another: the steamboat moves ahead of the grand gunship, squat, dirty and ugly by comparison. Click here to view work from the 2009 exhibition, inspired by this painting. © The National Gallery, London The Story Behind The Fighting Temeraire | ArtGallery.co.uk The Story Behind The Fighting Temeraire Featured artworks Peter Nottrott Many people in Britain are familiar with Joseph Mallord William Turner's magical painting of the Fighting Temeraire, but what's the story behind Britain's favourite painting? The Fighting Temeraire or "The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her Last Berth to be broken up" (to give it's full name) hangs in the National Gallery in London and continues to wow visitors. It depicts a glorious sunset, through which sails a squat, dark tug boat, pulling a pale and almost ghostly sailing ship, "The Fighting Temeraire" behind it.

The 98-gun Temeraire was one of the key ships that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Britain was bracing itself against the possibility of invasion by Napoleon. Napoleon had succeeded in bringing together fleets from France and Spain, in order to ravage British interests. The Battle of Trafalgar was to sow the seeds of British colonial power for many years, as well as decisively destroying the Napoleonic threat. Admiral Lord Nelson was the genius commander behind the British tactics in the battle: a master tactician, and already a national hero. The French fleet was commanded by Admiral Villeneuve. He had 33 ships, compared with the British 22. By dawn of the 21-Oct-1805, the two fleets were visible to one another. Nelson arranged his fleet into two columns, to pierce the enemy line head on. Nelson's Victory ploughed straight through the line, taking terrible damage, before opening fire. The Victory smashed the French flagship the Bucentaure, with Admiral Villeneuve, the only man left standing on the quarter deck. Then the Victory's progress was blocked by the Redoutable.

The Temeraire, captained by Sir Eliab Harvey, flanked the Redoutable on the other side, and the Victory and Temeraire smashed their foes with shattering broadsides at point blank range. Captain Jean-Jacques Lucas of the Redoubtable said: "It would be difficult to describe the horrible carnage caused by the murderous broadside. More than 200 of our brave lads were killed or wounded. I was wounded at the same instant, but not so seriously as to prevent me from remaining at my post ... A little later a third ship [HMS Temeraire] came up and stationed herself astern of the Redoubtable and fired into us at pistol range; in less than half an hour our ship was so riddled that she seemed to be no more than a mass of wreckage. In this state the Temeraire hailed us to strike, and not prolong a useless resistance. I ordered several soldiers who were near me to answer this summons with musket-shots, which was performed with the greatest zeal. At the very same minute the mainmast fell on board the Redoubtable.

The entire stern was absolutely stove-in, rudder-stock, tiller, and two tiller-sweeps, sternpost, wing transoms, and transom knees were in general shot to pieces." The ships behind Victory engaged the Franco-Spanish fleet as they came through. A musket shot from the Redoubtable hit Nelson and knocked him down, breaking his back: he was taken below and missed the battle as it climaxed towards British victory, although he was kept informed at all times. The Temeraire continued to fight the Redoutable and managed to smash the French ship Fougueux in the process. The tactic of piercing the Franco-Spanish line was successful, and during the storm which blew up later that day, many of the crippled vessels were finally destroyed. Nelson died in the course of the battle, and was given a state funeral. Thus the Temeraire acquired its legendary place in British naval history. Turner wanted to make a statement about the passing of an age, the glorious age of sail, and it's transformation into the more mundane age of steam and steel. Others of his paintings, such as Rain, Steam and Speed also deal with themes of modern technology transforming our landscapes.

The scene depicted by JMW Turner occurred on 6-Sep-1838, as the Temeraire was pulled up the Thames to the Beatson's ship-breaking yard at Rotherhith. However, the reality of the scene was slightly different. It is said that the Temeraire was in fact pulled by two tugs, not one, and there was no sunset according to observers on the day. The composition lovingly romanticises the passing of the Temeraire. In 2005 the painting was voted "Britain's favourite painting" in a BBC poll. Not surprisingly, this vote coincided with the 200 year anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Now the sunset breezes shiver Temeraire! Temeraire! And she's fading down the river. Temeraire! Temeraire! Now the sunset Breezes shiver And she's fading down the river, But in England's song for ever She's the Fighting Temeraire.

Henry Newbolt, 'The Fighting Temeraire', 1898 My basket The Fighting Temeraire - Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851 - OldMastersOnline.com Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851 Select Picture Size: Select Canvas or Frame Option: 1 Click Picture to View Larger The Fighting Temeraire by Joseph Mallord William Turner: This stunning reproduction of 'The Fighting Temeraire' by Joseph Mallord William Turner is a high quality, giclée reproduction art print on heavy-weight canvas. The size of the picture (image) is approximately 51 x 41cm (20 x 16 inches). This printed work of art is either supplied as a canvas (sent rolled in a postal tube) for you to frame (instructions are included) or is supplied mounted, varnished and framed with one of the picture frames shown. Giclée (pron. 'jee-clay') is a process for printing fine-art using very fine droplets of ink to produce very accurate reproductions. Click here for more info.

This canvas is a premium heavy-weight (360gsm) art canvas that can either be stretched or board mounted. As shown above, the full dimensions of the canvas are 61 x 46cm (24 x 18 inches). Click picture above to view larger. The Fighting Temeraire by Joseph Mallord William Turner Framed: Despatch and Delivery Payment, Contact and Guarantee All items are available for delivery world-wide. Framed pictures are carefully packaged in custom-made boxes and despatched with insured couriers. All pictures are produced to order, so please allow 5 working days for despatch. Delivery timescales vary depending on destination - click here for more info. Delivery prices vary by weight, size and destination. Just add the items you require to your shopping basket to see the price for delivery. There are significant savings for multiple items. We accept payment via our secure payment provider Sagepay using major debit and credit-cards. We can also accept UK Bank cheques or electronic transfers internationally.

If you prefer to place your order by telephone, wish to pay by cheque or electronic transfer or wish to speak to us with your enquiry you can contact us on (+44) (0)8712 344009 during UK office hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). HMS Invincible: Inside the battle ship made famous by Turner, the fighting Temeraire | Daily Mail Online comments Struggling to breathe in mouthfuls of air rank with choking gunsmoke, hundreds of men and boys crouched low on the gun decks of His Majesty's Ship Temeraire. In that cramped space, where shouted orders competed with the screams of the injured, blood ran freely through a hull hewn from English oaks. Already the sails high above were riddled with chain shot from the French warships, but it was there, on the crowded gundecks that a brutal slaughter was unfolding. In the hellish tempest of the Battle of Trafalgar, in an act of almost suicidal valour, the Temeraire's captain chose to draw fire away from the Victory, in which Nelson lay dying.

Nation's favourite: Turner's Fighting Temeraire can be found in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square Soon, two vast enemy warships were lashed to the flanks of the Temeraire, a lethal barrage of fire pouring from their gunports. Forty-seven men lost their lives on the British ship and 67 were severely injured - a terrible butcher's bill for the surgeon working feverishly in the bowels of the vessel. Later, the contemporary art critic John Ruskin described how the Temeraire had fought until her sides ran 'wet with the long runlets of English blood ... those pale masts that stayed themselves up against the warruin, shaking out their ensigns through the thunder, till sail and ensign dropped'. Two centuries later, Turner's famous painting of the Fighting Temeraire can be found in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Every day visitors flock to see the great warship glowing in sepulchral light as she is towed to the breaker's yard by a steam tug. It is the nation's favourite painting - its popularity is as much due to the melancholic subject matter as the deftness of the artist's brushstrokes.

Yet few people know anything of life on board, or of the terrible sacrifices made by her crew. That's why, with new access to previously restricted archives, I decided to write a book about the Fighting Temeraire - a choice, in part, inspired by Turner's great painting. Although it's one of the most iconic images of the overlapping ages of sail and steam, it amazed me that no one has ever written the full history of the ship itself. When I started my research, I discovered the records of the Admiralty survive in amazing condition. I used logbooks of the Temeraire and reports from her captains; maps drawn by sailors aboard; letters to fathers, wives, children and lovers; ship plans and sailing reports. The Temeraire started life in the ancient shipyard of Chatham in 1793, costing a staggering £73,241 (£4million today). That year Revolutionaries in France had guillotined their king, Louis XVI, in the centre of Paris. On both sides of the Channel, the hammering of shipwrights' tools called their navies to war. Temeraire was named after an earlier ship seized from the French.

The Temeraire's three decks gave her a distinctive silhouette; she was easily recognised by both friend and enemy. The three decks also gave plenty of room for the officer's quarters, which made her suitable as a flagship. She was in fact larger than the first-rate HMS Victory, which had been built 30 years before. A staggering 5,000 trees were used to build her hull. The strong, naturally curved oak that English forests grew so well formed the wine-glass shape of her hull, and the beautifully straight pines of Baltic forests provided her with deck planks and masts. The rig was vast. The sails of the three masts, if all set, covered a staggering 6,510 sq yds of sky. Twenty-five miles of rope held up the masts and worked the sails through 750 blocks. The masts were 205ft high. Make no mistake, this was a ship designed to wage bloody war.

She was armed with 98 guns on three gun decks with more bristling from her quarterdeck and forecastle, not least the murderous carronades, the short but immensely powerful gun known then as the 'smasher' for the destruction it caused at close range. Gunnery tactics varied, but in fleet action in the Royal Navy, and under Nelson's command, close action was favoured. The men would stand silent as the ship sailed towards the enemy - the silence speaking volumes of the sailors' discipline. This unnerved the jittery French, always so keen to fire as soon as their enemy was in range, often with little effect. But the British scorned such tactics, as they could not deliver decisive victory. They did not want to fight off the French ships, but to capture or destroy them. As for the layout of the ship, the officers lived at the stern - their quarters lit by the vast bank of windows. Access to daylight itself was a privilege of rank. Seamen were restricted to peeking out of gunports and risked a soaking while doing so, whereas the officers could enjoy the view from the comfort of their mess table. Some officers furnished their quarters lavishly.

The crew's diet was central to their health, and significant numbers of livestock were taken aboard. Hence, the noise of a warship was as much characterised by clucking, mooing and oinking as it was by gunfire and shouting, and the smell in some parts was farmyard. Every week, each man was allowed 4lb of beef, 2lb of pork, 2lb of peas, 11/2lb of oatmeal, 6oz of sugar, 6oz of butter and 12oz of cheese. Each day he was also issued with a full pound of ship's biscuit. This diet kept the men alive and strong, if hungry, and it was often far better fare than most people ashore could expect to receive regularly. But it was fresh food, however, that kept the dreaded scurvy at bay - this curious disease that made gums bleed, teeth fall out, and men so weak they could not stand. In the years that the Temeraire fought the French, the Navy started to get a grip on preventing scurvy through the regular issue of lemon juice. The lemon juice was taken neat or with the sailor's grog. This was the highlight of the sailor's day.

Twice a day, every day, the sailors were issued their tot of rum; half a pint in total, diluted with three parts of water, issued morning and evening. If spirits were unavailable, the men received beer - a gallon each. With so many men cooped up in one place, discipline was a constant challenge. It was maintained through a complex and forgiving relationship between officers and men. The majority of officers knew that to run a ship some misdemeanours had to be harshly punished. Only very rarely was mutiny sparked by punishment - usually it was over food, money or leave. But discipline was one area where, once, the crew of the Temeraire failed - on a cold winter's morning in 1801. A truce had been agreed with Napoleon and the men were delighted at the prospect of going home after eight long years of war. Their political masters, how ever, had other ideas. They mistrusted Napoleon, who had taken the opportunity of peace to send a huge force of 41 ships and 12,000 men to the West Indies under the command of Jerome Bonaparte, his brother.

The Temeraire was ordered to the Caribbean, but with no hope of leave for at least a year, the men mutinied. This was no quiet affair, a gentle negotiation with the officers behind closed doors, but a violent protest. The mutineers took control of the ship's discipline, threatening any who dissented from their plan with death. One mutineer, Norman Dixon, threatened to stab the ship's Marines when they were asleep in their hammocks if they did not lend their support to the uprising. In the end, it took an armed coup by the officers to seize back control of their ship. The mutineers were taken back to Portsmouth where the ringleaders were tried and hanged, or as it was reported in the Press, 'launched into eternity'. The Admiralty sent the Temeraire immediately back on blockade duty to keep her crew out of trouble and there, beaten by the gales of Biscay off the coast of France, and tossed like a cork in the deep Atlantic swells, the men re-found their discipline in the steady rhythms of shipboard life and gunnery drill.

By October 1805, they were fit for any challenge that faced them, and when Nelson penned his order of battle to face the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar, the very first ship on his list - that commanded by the senior captain of the fleet, Eliab Harvey - was the Temeraire. She was ready for glory. Harvey was cut from the same canvas as Nelson. He had joined the Navy at 13 and was a captain by 25. He had enjoyed a glittering career and was renowned for his daring. He was exactly the kind of captain that Nelson wanted. Compulsive and brave (in gambling as well as war), he represented his countrymen at both the ballot box and on the gundeck, and he did so for the love of his country and his hatred of the French. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Harvey's crew was a little under its full roster, but still 720 men and boys crammed into her dark gun-decks. The youngest officer was Alexander Brennan, a midshipman from Dublin. He was just 12. The youngest member of the crew, however, was Richard Elliott, who was 11.

There were 41 other boys aboard. The oldest crew member was Michael Leonard, another Irishman. He was 62. In the hellish tempest of the Battle of Trafalgar, Temeraire first took on the largest warship of the time, the giant four-decked Spanish first-rater Santisima Trinidad, before being trapped between two French ships, defending the Victory. It was an action of extraordinary courage. 'Nothing could be finer,' wrote the Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood to Harvey after the battle. 'I have not words in which I can sufficiently express my admiration.' Forty-seven of the vessel's sailors had died in the battle, and 76 more were wounded. There was little time to record details of individual injuries in the heat of battle, but we do know that one young midshipman, 20-yearold William Pitts from London, had a leg blown off as he boarded the first French ship to surrender to the Temeraire, La Redoutable.

The French crew were so horrified that he had been injured by another French ship when they had officially surrendered, that Pitts was taken straight down to the French surgeon, past the lines of Frenchmen waiting for treatment, to have his leg amputated. Pitts died that night. The Temeraire survived the horrific storm that followed the battle and eventually limped home. The damage was enormous. Every sail and yard had been destroyed; only the lower masts were standing and they had been shot through in many places; the rudder had been shot off together with the starboard 'cat-head', from which the starboard anchor should have been suspended. Eight feet of her hull on the starboard side was stove in and the quarter galleries on both sides of the ship had been destroyed as she was crushed between the French ships. But it could have been worse. At one stage, a grenade thrown from a French ship found its way onto the Temeraire's quarterdeck and caused an explosion. It took the quick thinking of John Toohig, the Temeraire's master-at-arms, to prevent the fire from spreading to the magazine, which would have destroyed her.

Upon its return to England, the public flocked to see the battlescarred ship, and among their number was Joseph Mallord William Turner, who sketched the ship and its survivors. The Temeraire captivated the artist for the next 30 years until, at the height of his powers, he completed that mournful painting of her final voyage to the breaker's yard that we know so well, with a steam-tug pulling a ghostly leviathan, and the sun setting on the wooden walls of old England. The Fighting Temeraire by Sam Willis is published by Quercus at £25. To order a copy at £22.50 (P&P free), call 0845 155 0720. Joseph Mallord William Turner | artist | 1775 - 1851 | National Gallery, London Joseph Mallord William Turner Go to artist A-Z Turner is perhaps the best-loved English Romantic artist. He became known as 'the painter of light', because of his increasing interest in brilliant colours as the main constituent in his landscapes and seascapes. His works include water colours, oils and engravings.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, ‘Self Portrait’, about 1799, Tate Gallery, London © The Art Archive / Tate Gallery, London / Eileen Tweedy Turner was born near Covent Garden in London and entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1789. His earliest works form part of the 18th-century topographical tradition. He was soon inspired by 17th-century Dutch artists such as Willem van der Velde , and by the Italianate landscapes of Claude and Richard Wilson . He exhibited watercolours at the Royal Academy from 1790, and oils from 1796. In 1840 he met the critic John Ruskin, who became the great champion of his work. Turner became interested in contemporary technology, as can be seen from 'The Fighting Temeraire' and 'Rain, Steam and Speed' . At the time his free, expressive treatment of these subjects was criticised, but it is now widely appreciated. Turner bequeathed much of his work to the nation. The great majority of the paintings are now at Tate Britain.

Question: Who painted the picture of The Fighting Temeraire?
Answer: Turner